Super Bowl Beer Tasting Party Ideas

This shop is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Rubbermaid and Sharpie but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #RubbermaidSharpie  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO

Anyone else gearing up for the big game? We are and our team wasn't even remotely close to making it anywhere near the Super Bowl. (My husband is from north east Florida... I'll letcha guess what team that could be) So why the hubbub? Because each year we host a beer tasting (my husband brews) that we conveniently integrate with the Super Bowl-- 4th annual this year! So even if our team, or any of our guests' teams, aren't playing, we still have liquid libations and funny commercials to lure them... this is how I make friends. Don't judge. Today I thought I could show you what we're planning for this year's bash. A dress rehearsal if you will. :)

First off, I'm getting a bit crafty. Shocking, I know. Kaley and I hit up Target and got a couple supplies to make a quick banner. Felt, Sharpies, letter stickers, and some ribbon are all ya need. And -- thrifty tip alert!-- before you go, if you text the word COUPONS to TARGET (yep, "TARGET" is the number you send the text to) they will send you the latest coupons to your phone. There will be a Sharpie coupon and a Rubbermaid coupon available Jan 25 - Feb 8th. Seriously convenient. Love it.

We cut felt into triangles, she stuck the letters on, and decorated each one with the Sharpies. (Great after-school kid craft)

Then I punched small holes in the corners and strung them onto the ribbon.

I also picked up these football cutouts ($1 for the whole pack) and we used a few of those as spacers.

Really quick, simple, and festive.

Next I found these small wood footballs for about .50 cents each at the craft store and thought they'd make great food labels. You know, like when people stick signs on the cheese plate so you don't accidentally smother your cracker in goat cheese when what you really wanted was brie. (True story)

I just hot glued wooden skewers to the back.

Ta-da. Not sure yet what's going to need labeling at the tasting, but I'm probably going to use chalk so I can reuse these next year. No more accidental goat cheese.

Next, I came up with a beer charm station. Basically, I'm going to have my guests create their own tags for their drinks. Not only will it be hilarious to read what people come up with, it will also let you know which drink is your's. (I love that Kaley made the purple one below... "I'm here for the fun". So cute!)

We created a few to give guests the idea.

Last thing I'm really excited about is covering all of my tables in craft paper. (I might cover the entire house if someone doesn't stop me) This is going to make it super simple to sort the types of beer. I can just use the Sharpies to write "Stouts over here", "Ales here", etc. Plus, we're going to score the different beers this year. By numbering each one on the table, guests will know what to mark down on their sheets (more on that soon!). PLUS, can you say super simple clean up? Score.

I did buy real glasses for our beer tastings too. They are small (maybe 6 oz?), were really inexpensive, and I've used them for the last 4 years. I probably would have spent more on plastic disposable cups at this point had I not bought them. So if you host regularly, might be something to consider.

I picked up a few festive napkins too.

And, got a ton of new Rubbermaid glass containers. Since I'll probably have to make 80% of the food ahead (#workingmama), it's really nice to be able to go from the fridge, to the oven, to the table all in the same container. They look nice, will cut down on the dishes, and will reduce my stress level which is good for everyone. ha.

Did I mention the lids stick to the bottoms too? LOVE!

So while we still have a couple weeks until the game, it's nice to get the plans in motion. I'll be sure to post a follow up of all the party details when the day's here. So what are your hosting tips and tricks? I'd love to know how you streamline the stress out of hosting.

Let's be friends!

Old Dresser Makeover

You know that dresser that you had when you were 12? The one you covered in stickers and the one mom let you bring to your college dorm? Yep, we had one of those still in our bedroom for a LONG time. In this case, it was my husband's. Does that scream 1980's kid or what? I'm pretty sure my brother had the same furniture.

The thing is, you have it for so long you kind of get immune to its ugliness. That's what happened to me. It was real wood, solid, and held t-shirts. I never gave it a second thought until Creating with the Stars happened in March of 2013. 

Each week I had to complete a new project based on a theme and then it would be voted on. Bottom 3 got booted out each week. Well, since I have this little gig on the side called a full-time job, not to mention children that depend on me for food, I had like 12 minutes each night to actually work on my projects. So, each week I pretty much started the next week's theme not even knowing if I made it through to that round. That's how this dresser happened.

(Slightly scratched, eh?)

After round 3, I redid this dresser in preparation for round 4.  Spoiler alert, I didn't make it to round 4 with the map table. It's all good though. I got more than 20 minutes of sleep that week and a re-fabbed dresser out of it.

So here's where I started. The things I really did not like were the handles, the feet, the way the sides stuck up past the top, and those lovely decorative notches chainsawed out of the front edge. The size and shape were good.

So I removed all the drawers and went to town with a saw.

First thing I did was chop off both of the tall side things. Sorry, couldn't saw and take pics at the same time. Safety first! :)

Then, I smacked each handle numerous times with a hammer until they fell off. That part was actually really fun. If you're having a rough day, I highly suggest. There were a few staples to pull out once the handle fell off.

Then we removed the feet. They were just held on with a few screws.

Then I gave the whole thing a really good sanding. Especially the top. (I sawed off the front edge of that "decorative" board right after this part, then sanded that really well too)

Here you can see all the handles missing, the front edge of the top is flat, and how the top is sanded much better than the rest.

I still wanted to see some wood on the piece so it didn't look like a giant hunk of cement. That's why I white washed the top. I pretty much just used my chalk paint recipe and really watered it down. Then wiped the surface with a cloth as soon as I painted it on.

The rest of the dresser was painted with light gray chalk paint normally.

Then I did the drawers in an ombre look making the paint darker as I went down. However, no matter how much black I added, drawers 2 and 3 kind of pretty much look the same color. Whatayagonnado?

After all was painted and dry, I was ready to wax 'er up. I used the same Minwax Paste Finishing Wax I used on my other dresser, my desk, this table, and this table. (I am Sarah and I have a furniture waxing problem).

Buuuuuut.... it was missing something. I know, I can't just leave it alone.

I broke out the DIY Moroccan stencil and traced it onto the drawers.

  
Then I painted over that with some teal paint and a craft brush. Then waxed.

Ahhh, better.  Last step! I bought some Besta Legs from IKEA and 3 Lansa Handles.  Took a bit of measuring to get the handles perfect but it looks so much better!

Ta da! Total cost for this project was $37!

So before you think there is no hope for your old middle school furniture, see what you can change! You might be able to remove/paint enough to make it awesome!

Let's be friends!

Postcard Gallery Wall

So, operation big girl room is still an ongoing process. Ongoing meaning mama's been too busy finding creative places to hide Christmas presents to sew any pillows (these kids could be detectives). But, we did get another project done. A few months back Kaley was invited to an American Girl doll birthday party. All the girls dressed up fancy and had a lovely afternoon "tea" (or apple juice) with their dolls. Very cute. In the goody bag to take home from that party was a book of American Girl Doll post cards.

Now, since I am of the thrifty genus and cannot bring myself to spend that kind of money on a doll (we have the Target knockoff) I was not familiar with American Girl. So, I was rather surprised to find such awesome sayings on the postcards we took home. 

So... I thought it would be cool to make them into artwork for her room. She likes the colors and designs too so it's a win win if you ask me. Off to IKEA!

I purchased 16 Ribba frames in gray for $1.99 each. They didn't really have a color that jives with the room so I knew I'd be painting them.

Then I busted out the brightest purple Rust-Oleum makes and went to town.

After they dried I reassembled the frames and added a bazillion Command strips to the backs. Besides the fact that they don't put any holes in the wall, I always use Command strips for a gallery hanging situation. With 16 frames side by side there is no way you'd keep them all hanging straight on nails. If you stick them up with the strips, they don't move ever. Love it.

So now they hang over her bed and some nights she asks me to read a few to her. My favorite is "What I think matters." I think I like that one the most because I need reminding of that sometimes. So while I'm a little sad her pictures of Disney princesses no longer plaster the walls (she's still rocking a Brave poster though), I'm happy they were replaced with something preaching girl power. Hopefully a few of these tiny messages stick.

If you'd like to see more projects from Operation Big Girl Room, click around below.

Let's be friends!

'Twas the Month Before Christmas...

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group™ and Cottonelle, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #CottonelleHoliday  http://cmp.ly/3/8vNxcO.

Did you really write a poem about toilet paper? I did. When I got the opportunity to tell you about Cottonelle Triple Roll I thought, what else is there to tell about toilet paper? Then I remembered that fateful night. (Insert dramatic music) It's story must be told. So sit back, grab a cup of hot chocolate, and and let me entertain you with my TP tales... "The Month Before Christmas".

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Twas the month before Christmas, the calendar was marked,

Our party was approaching, tensions were sparked.

The house had been cleaned by the family with care,

In hopes that our friends soon would be there.

The kids made ornaments, the tree was decked out,
A popsicle stick Rudolph was ready to tout.
The music was festive and fun as could be,
And gifts were all wrapped, right under the tree.

The drinks were chilled all snug in their ice,

While mountains of cookies baked warm and nice.

The kids dressed up, even brushed their teeth,

The house was ready with lights and a wreath.

The guests arrived all in droves of twenty,

I knew in a moment, they'd all be hungry.

So into the kitchen I flew like a flash,

To stir the sauce and give the taters a mash.

The best hostess ever, I must say that I was,

Chatting up friends and keeping the room a buzz.

The food was served, libations were flowing,

People were happy, the tree was still glowing.

You could say it was great; the best party ever,

A total success, merry and clever.

When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,

But a tiny naked booty running ever so near.

In the midst of all the giggles and stares,

I scooped up that child and ran back upstairs.

He'd been shouting from the potty for a mom busy hosting,

"Help! We have no TP!" was the cry he'd been boasting.

To the top of the stairs, to the edge of the wall,

That naked booty came down and announced to us all.

The TP was out and he was glad to share,

Mom forgot the triple roll, all naked and bare.

The guests thought it was cute, downright charming,

But when a toddler's unwiped bum runs through your party, I find it alarming.

So I've learned my lesson, have no doubt,

I done with the single roll, no more skimping out.

Off to Target, we went really fast,

I used this coupon, while supplies last.

Cottonelle Triple Roll 12 pack, that be the ticket,

Free Kleenex too, that's why we'd pick it.

Now the rolls stay full longer, and I can sit back,

The naked booties no longer come to the party and attack!

So, if your party was ever ruined; no TP was the reason,

Pick up Cottonelle Triple Roll at Target and relax; enjoy this season.

The End.
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Do you feel like your holiday is complete now? It's a Christmas classic for sure! Happy holidays!

Let's be friends!